Merce Lemon & Fust – Cup of Loneliness / Choices

Trouble Chair

Almost two years ago, at the onset of 2024, Merce Lemon teamed up with Colin Miller for a 7” of Will Oldham covers that knocked my damn socks off. This was table-setting at the top of a busy year for Merce, whose knockout sophomore LP Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild was scheduled for release that fall. These covers (along with the standalone single, “Will You Do Me a Kindness”) felt like both a reintroduction to the project and a recentering of a certain artistic approach, signaling the type of heartfelt, full-bleed Americana indie rock that was to come later on. 

Now, after a hectic year of touring and putting music out into the world, Merce has teamed up with another North Carolina project, Fust, for “Cup of Loneliness” and “Choices,” two George Jones covers that reassert both projects’ distinct admiration for country and folk music. 

“Cup of Loneliness” is more of a Merce song, with Fust’s Aaron Dowdy providing some subtle backing vox while Merce maintains the original song’s earnest questioning and clear-headed delivery. Even more apparent are Pat Coyle’s bouncy drumming and Justin Long’s flashy Violin work. Fust takes over for “Choices” (not the E-40 song, sadly, though I would like to hear the band’s take on that) and sees the Durham group cranking up the fiddle as Dowdy plays up his distinct garbled twang. 

Together, these two songs feel like a beautiful and loving nod to the songwriters who paved the way for groups like Merce Lemon and Fust. The split also doubles as an announcement of a joint tour throughout March and April of next year, so if we’re lucky enough, hopefully we’ll get to see these covers live this come spring.